how to build a brake wheel diamond wheel dresser

[Dave Smith]

If you are not good and steady with your hands or feel uncomfortable holding the white wheel piece against the spinning diamond wheel---you could make a jig easily to hold the piece and have it slide back and forth across the face of the diamond wheel to dress it even---Dave

 

[Bob Korves]

If you are not good and steady with your hands or feel uncomfortable holding the white wheel piece against the spinning diamond wheel---you could make a jig easily to hold the piece and have it slide back and forth across the face of the diamond wheel to dress it even---Dave

Thanks, Dave. Good ideas in both posts.

 

[ad1964]

Are there any sketches , dimensions available

 

[Cadillac]

Post #5 has drawing and pictures of what you would purchase commercially. Great unit.

 

[kenjesse]

Firstly I am what I would call a "Wannabe" machinist, my Father being the master machinist/tool & die maker that I was lucky enough to spend the last 3-4 years of his life with learning from...but not nearly enough. Going by the info in this thread and whatever other info I could find I present my take on the Brake Wheel Dresser.

The main body that holds the shaft and bearings is 6061 aluminum, the brake housing and bottom plate are A2 tool steel, brake drum is A2 1/4" wall 3" pipe, shaft is made from 3/4" precision chrome molly taken down to 1/2", the brake pads are made from brass that I had on hand. The shaft is made with a retaining boss for the bearing on the grinding wheel end, the shaft then goes into the housing with the opposing bearing then placed on the shaft followed by the brake housing. The retaining nut is then tightened to properly preload the bearings then locked in place with 3 set screws which land on flats cut in the shaft.

Did a test run this evening and to my amazement this thing seems to work. I started from a pretty well formed idea and some basic sketches. Sort of refined dimensions as I went (I think I mentioned "wannabe" machinist). To give you an idea of where that kind of planning can get you the brake drum has to be installed from the dressing wheel end because of the way I machined it. The brake housing and drum have a larger diameter than the mounting flange, didn't really think that all the through...lol. Also you might have noticed the #3 in one pic beside a screw that's because as hard as I tried to space the brake drum screws 120 degrees apart, they are not so it only goes on one way. Finally I picked up the dressing wheel from McMaster Carr it's the only 3x1x1/2 that they stock.